Pennsylvania
A simulated hotel front desk at Indiana University of Pennsylvania now includes a donor's name
Donor names end up on all sorts of college and university real estate, from imposing classroom buildings, to lecture halls, to flower gardens and even benches.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania has its share of those sorts of spots.
It also has this: A hotel front desk simulation lab that — as of Friday — is officially named for a donor, too.
The Statler Foundation hotel front desk at IUP isn’t something one expects to encounter inside a classroom building — in this case, Eberly Hall, home of IUP’s business school.
But it’s helping undergraduates who are studying hospitality gain experience in the good, the bad and the ugly of customer relations.
The Statler Foundation donated $125,000 in 2022 to construct the simulation lab for IUP’s Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management program.
“Students work in a series of role playing situations, being checked in, checked out — those difficult scenarios, customer problems,” said Stephen Shiring, assistant chair of IUP’s Department of Management and director of the Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management program. “It looks exactly like a hotel lobby.”
A dedication ceremony Friday officially marked the naming, after IUP’s Council of Trustees approved the proposal Thursday evening.
The Statler Foundation was created from the estate of hotelier Ellsworth M. Statler after his death in 1928, according to the foundation’s website. Its purpose is to advance education and betterment of the hotel industry.
Statler grew up largely in poverty in Somerset County and in Bridgeport, Ohio, according to the foundation’s website. He had to work during most of his childhood he had to work, and at age 13, he landed a job as a bellboy in a hotel in Wheeling, W.Va.
He never went to IUP or to college, Shiring said, but Statler advanced to hotel clerk and studied hotel management and bookkeeping.
He became a self-made millionaire, establishing what was the largest premier hotel chain of his day, according to the foundation’s website.
The Statler chain stretched from hotels in New York to St. Louis to Buffalo and Pittsburgh’s William Penn Hotel.
In 1954, Conrad Hilton, owner of the Hilton Hotel chain, paid $111 million for the Statler assets in what was the biggest commercial real estate purchase at the time, according to the foundation.
The gift toward the hotel front desk simulation lab is on top of the Foundation’s scholarship support for students in the IUP program.
There are about 100 hospitality proram majors annually, and IUP says it is one of the largest undergraduate programs in the state.
Bill Schackner is a TribLive reporter covering higher education. Raised in New England, he joined the Trib in 2022 after 29 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where he was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. Previously, he has written for newspapers in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. He can be reached at bschackner@triblive.com.
Hersheypark in Pennsylvaniacould be forced to close this summer amid a dispute between the site’s operators and union employees, according to a report.
The amusement park is scheduled to open seven days a week starting May 21 in a shift from its weekend-only operation before the summer, despite a looming vote among employees about whether to go on strike.
Over 200 union maintenance employees at Hersheypark, The Hotel Hershey and Giant Center rejected a contract offer from Hershey Entertainment & Resorts on May 7, according to Inside the Magic. The park’s operators described the proposal as their “last, best and final” offer.
Over a three-day period this week, employees will vote on whether to strike after rejecting the offer, which is the third from the park’s operators. A strike could close the park just in time for the start of the busy summer season when families head on vacation.
The list of employees considering going on strike includes ride mechanics, electricians, plumbers, welders, painters, machinists, utilities technicians, carpenters, garage auto mechanics and sign artists.
In mid-March, the union and Hershey Entertainment & Resorts agreed to extend a former contract for 60 days to allow for continued negotiations.
According to Inside the Magic, union workers are seeking fair wage increases, more affordable care plans and higher pay premiums for less-desirable shifts. The union has also said that it will reject new contract offers that lower professional standards, devalue skilled trades or open the door to lower wages in maintenance roles in the future.
The Independent has contacted Hershey Entertainment & Resorts for comment about the possible strike.
Hersheypark, located 15 miles east of Harrisburg, is the largest amusement park in Pennsylvania. Founded in 1906, the 121-acre site boasts more than 70 rides, a water park with 17 water attractions and an 11-acre North American Wildlife Park, according to Hersheypark’s website.
It’s named for and themed in conjunction with the popular candy company.
However, a different park in the Keystone State was named as the top amusement park in the U.S. on TripAdvisor’s Best of the Best list.
It was Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, 42 miles north-northeast of Harrisburg, that topped the list. In doing so, the little-known park was ranked higher than Dollywood, Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure that also made the top 5.
“It’s got it all: roller coasters, kid-friendly rides (bumper cars, a haunted mansion), swimming, camping, a mining museum, and even a championship 18-hole golf course,” TripAdvisor wrote. “The accommodating staff, clean facilities, and fun attractions make for a memorable family-friendly visit.”
Knoebels is the U.S.’s largest free-admission park, although tickets for individual rides cost a fee.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on cast vote records creates uncertainty for counties
NEW CASTLE, Pa. (MyValleyTributes) – Charles “Yami” Frederick Jamison, age 83, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, formerly of Warren, Ohio, passed away, surrounded by his family, on Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Haven Convalescent Home.
Mr. Jamison was born December 2, 1942, in New Castle, a son of the late Charles N. and Anna (Callihan) Jamison and was a 1960 graduate of New Castle High School.
Charles worked as an order checker clerk for Packard Electric Company, Warren, Ohio, for 31 years, until his retirement in 1999.
A proud veteran, he served his country in the United States Navy.
He was a member of St. Mary’s Church, Warren, Ohio and also attended Mass at Holy Spirit Parish – St. Mary’s Church.
Charles spent his free time hunting and playing Euchre.
He is survived by his four sisters, Margaret I. Klann, Mary E. DeMarco and Catherine “Kay” A. Houk (Robert), all of New Castle and Susan J. Olson (Donald), Winfield, Illinois; his brother, Richard Jamison (Linda) of New Castle; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the City Rescue Mission, 319 S. Croton Ave., New Castle, PA, 16101, and the Salvation Army, 240 W. Grant St., New Castle, PA, 16101.
The family would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to the Haven Convalescent Home for the care and support that Charles received over the years.
Calling Hours will be from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in J. Bradley McGonigle Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 111 W. Falls St., New Castle.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on 10:30 a.m., Wednesday May 13, 2026, in Holy Spirit Parish – St. Mary’s Church, 124 N. Beaver St., New Castle, with Rev. Aaron Kriss, as celebrant.
Interment: Castleview Memorial Gardens, Neshannock Twp.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Charles F. Jamison, please visit our flower store.
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